(graphic courtesy of Catholic High School/Facebook)
Former Baton Rouge Catholic High School football coach Dale Weiner passed away at the age of 74 last night after a battle with Parkinson’s. The Louisiana Sports Hall of Famer won 317 games and a 2015 state title over 30 years with the Bears. Longtime high school sports writer for The Advocate in Baton Rouge, Robin Fambrough, says when Weiner arrived at Catholic High, they were the school other teams scheduled for homecoming.
“What followed after he came was really unprecedented success. The program grew by leaps and bounds and gained stature; not just in Baton Rouge, but also statewide,” Fambrough recalled.
Weiner was named LSWA coach of the year three times and led the Bears to 18 district titles. He spent 42 years in coaching, and his 317 wins rank seventh in state history all-time. Fambrough says titles and wins are one side of coaching, but Weiner molded his players’ lives for the better.
“The examples he set as a man; they saw how he interacted with his family. They saw how he interacted with other people. You’re supposed to treat people with respect,” Fambrough said.
Weiner’s 2015 Division I state championship over Archbishop Rummel came on a last-second field goal to win Catholic’s first state title. Weiner retired a year later. His son, Neil Weiner, now coaches at Dunham and won his first state championship last year. Fambrough says the father and son were able to share a special moment before taking the field in the Superdome.
“Really, all of high school sports is about family and about people realizing expectations. And I think the Weiner family has,” Fambrough noted.
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